Sir — For those who thought that it was unreasonable for the government to announce tax-waivers for prize money earned by cricketers, the gifting of seven-star luxury apartments to the World Cup squad by Sahara will come as a greater shock (“An evening like none other”, April 2). Simply because of the blatant way in which the team sponsors went back on their word of giving Sourav Ganguly’s men the gift only if they won the World Cup. If the cricketers know that they will end up getting the rewards even if they don’t manage to go the whole nine yards, will they still have the will to put in their best'

Yours faithfully, Piyashi Mitra, Calcutta

Star-crossed

Sir — Aishwarya Rai is certainly proving to be a modern-day Helen, what with Vivek Oberoi and Salman Khan engaged in a virtual duel to win her over (“Vivek alleges Salman death threat”, April 2). Knowing Salman Khan’s past record, one would be inclined to believe Oberoi’s allegation that Salman Khan had been sending death threats to the young star over the telephone. But did Oberoi really have to receive all the 41 calls before he could file a complaint with the nearest police station' If there is anything more ridiculous than a 27-year-old man waiting for his father to come home and take him to the police station, then it is the fact that this apology of a real-life drama has overshadowed news of the Iraq war on some of the popular television news channels of the country.

Yours faithfully, Satpreet Kaur, Dhanbad

Sir — The behaviour of Salman Khan is highly reprehensible. From being an idolized filmstar, he has sunk to the level of a petty criminal, killing protected species of deer, abusing his co-actors and actresses, going on a rampage on film sets and recently, sending death threats to competitors. He is even reported to have connections with the infamous Mumbai underworld.

Surprisingly, not very long ago, a reputed school in west Asia hailed Salman Khan as a role model and chose him to interact with its students. His is a case of success, fame and money bringing about debasement and ruin. As Vivek Oberoi has rightly said, the delinquent actor needs psychiatric treatment for his mental imbalance.

Yours faithfully, S. Ram, Calcutta

Sir — Bollywood and its stars are so much a part of the Indian consciousness that no sooner does an actor sneeze than it is blazoned on the headlines in film magazines and newspapers. The people’s adulation must have made the filmstars think that they can get away in real life with the kind of outrageous acts they perform on screen. The way Salman Khan has been baiting the law off and on is an example of this.

Yours faithfully, Jang Bahadur Singh, Jamshedpur

Sir — Someone must have impressed upon Vivek Oberoi the importance of publicity. His sudden press conference to complain about Salman Khan’s behaviour does smell of a publicity stunt. Why would a person like Salman Khan, who is already under the police scanner, do something that will worsen his situation' Oberoi was all over the place and on every television channel when Aishwarya Rai was hospitalized after a minor injury (“Ash’s toe keeps Vivek on his toes”, April 4). Could he have been fishing for anything else but publicity and a loving look from the hazel-eyed lady'

Yours faithfully, A.S. Ahmed, Calcutta

Sir — Envy, the most destructive of all passions, has claimed Salman Khan. He cannot bear the thought of losing to a junior. Hence the death-threats to Vivek Oberoi. But the question is: why should others suffer because of his madness and sense of insecurity'

Yours faithfully, Fatema Zakir Marfatia,

Calcutta

Sir — Yes, one can believe that Salman Khan has threatened Vivek Oberoi. But do we know the whole truth yet' Is there more to the Oberoi-Salman Khan duel than Aishwarya Rai' But Khan had better watch out. Oberoi, a former boxing champion, might prove too much for him.